Dates in the UAE

The Al Ain Oasis -- the country's first UNESCO World Heritage site

by CAMILLE CHIN  January 2017

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its first UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s a green space that’s quite contrary to all of Dubai’s skyscrapers, city-sized shopping malls and palm-tree shaped islands — extraordinary sights that the Middle Eastern country has become synonymous with. The Al Ain Oasis, an hour south of Dubai in the country’s fourth largest city, is spread over 1200 hectares, and contains fruit trees and more than 147,000 date palms of up to 100 different varieties. Cool, shady walkways wind through the palm plantations, which are dependant on both wells and the remarkable 3000-year-old falaj (traditional irrigation channels). The purpose-built eco-centre highlights the efforts taken to preserve the Al Ain Oasis, part of a larger plan to invest in the country’s ancient sites. For more info on the oasis: visitabudhabi.ae.

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